Dear friends. Christmas is a time when we feel all the feels, and I mean ALL! We feel happy and sad and stressed and at peace because Christmas reminds us of what we love and who we have lost over the years. Just now, I almost cried because an image of a dog came onto my phone, and it was one of my Nana’s favorite breeds, and suddenly, I missed her. Why am I saying this? Because it’s okay to feel. Feel all of it and then let it go. The thing that makes that tangible and important is making sure that you don’t feel alone. Feel those feelings with Jesus. Rest in His embrace and let Him heal you. Panic comes, but Jesus calms the storms. Pain happens, but our Lord is healer. We have lost… sometimes more than we can bear, but God has prepared a home in Heaven. We feel peace at Christmas because the light of the world came. His angel said, “Fear not.” Jesus said, “peace I leave with you.” Why? Because He knew who we are. It hurts sometimes. We see no light at the end of the tunnel. But God. It will always be Jesus who shows us the way. We may think we cannot do it. But all things are possible through Him. Don’t feel guilty about having all the Feelings at Christmas. Just make sure you leave those feelings in the hands of the Messiah.
Category: free
He is always with you
Jehovah Shammah, He is the God who is always there.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more wonderful than knowing that God is always there. Always! I was reading a book on studies of the Bible that my dad gave me. I really enjoyed the part that spoke of God’s character. In summary, it said, “We know from the Bible that God loves us and is holy and all powerful. If we know this, then why do we assume that the God who loves us will leave us in confusion? He will guide us and show us and give us understanding because He loves us.”
When we hit hard times, we become confused. Terribly confused sometimes. We become confused about life, about ourselves, even about God and who He is. But God is always with us even in our confusion. He helps us and guides us. He will show us His path and will help us take it. He is not surprised or annoyed by your confusion, He gets it. He understands that when we are confused we are also frustrated. He gets that we need help. He let’s us know the He always with is because sometimes we forget that He is here. Sometimes we face great enough of pain that we think He has left us. Sometimes we think He is angry and is ignoring us. Sometimes our confusion and frustration blinds us to Him. He knew that would happen, so He let us know that He is always with us.
God’s names all contect. He is our provider, our healer, our banner, our shelter. Every name God calls Himself is a name that shows us His love and security. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our peace. And He is our righteousness. He is the great I Am!
Even the flowers grow tired.
Even flowers have days when they are tired. Even the strong and resilient daisy has times when her petals droop.
Whenever a hard time comes, I think of the verse in Matthew that says
Matthew 6:28-30 ESV
[28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
But there are days when even the flowers look tired. They have no though or feeling, yet circumstances make them droop. We we think when we come to know jesus that all of the hardship will be gone and will never suffer again.But that’s just not the way it is. We forget that we have an enemy and that our enemy is like a prowling lion and will attack and devour. We feel like if we were just a little bit more diligent, if we just prayed a little harder, maybe we we’d be better off.Emprayer does help but hard times will come.Because God has warned us that they will come. The earlier verse ends with, “O you of little faith.” Whenever we listen to the Bible read aloud, the speaker will more often than not quote the O you little faith versus with an angry tone or a disappointed tone. But I don’t think that that’s what jesus is saying, when he warns us of having a small faith, it’s not because he’s mad that our faith is still small and it’s not necessarily because he’s disappointed, he knew we would have a small faith.Why else would he have said with faith like a mustard seed. When I read Jesus saying you of little faith. I hear it with a tone of that of somebody correcting perhaps a small dog. I’ve had this experience with my own dog where he will do something and I will try and help him or stop him or save him. And he will fight against me, and then he will hurt himself and i’m not mad at him, but I will say, why wouldn’t you have just trusted me and listened to me?Then you would’ve been fine. That’s what I hear when jesus says you of little faith. You of little faith, if only you would have trusted me.If only you would listen to me, I can help you and take your anxiety, your fear and your pain away. Jesus is called.
He is our peace.
Jehovah Shalom.
When the monsters come around at night, it’s Jesus who protects us. It is because of him, we lie down in safety. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when something evil crashes through your gate. I recall a great missionary speaking on a time when he was in.I believe it was africa, but it might have been india. He was sleeping in a tent like they all did, and in the middle of the night he woke up with a crazy need to pray and he spent the entire evening lying in his bed, praying the blood of jesus, the blood of Jesus. In the morning, he woke up and there was a deep trench around his bed, and if I recall what he said correctly, he said the lord spoke to me and said the devil came to attack you.But because you spoke, my name, all he could do was pace.Around you all night. It’s only in the blood of Jesus that we are safe and protected. The devil can come, but he can’t get through when we are covered in the blood of Jesus. Gods angel, that’s swept through and took the first born child in Egypt. It was the blood on the door that made it so that the angel passed that house by. There will be times later on where the same people who had been under that blood would then doubt God or deny God and maybe some of them were ones that were killed in the desert by disease or by the sword because of the way they had turned from Jesus and God knew full well when his angel passed. Them by. That they would turn from him later and that they would possibly die in the desert, but it was still the blood of Jesus, the blood of the lamb on the door now, I should specify that that’s symbolic and not every lamb’s blood is the blood of Jesus, however, God still permitted those people to be. Left to live when his spirit went through because of the blood on the door. The blood did not blind him to who was inside. He knew full well and he also knew what the outcome would be later, but the blood of Jesus protects you. It’s once you let go of his hand release the hem of his garment and are no longer washed in his blood, but then the monsters can come through. But while you are with him and you have him by your side. And you trust him and love him and speak to him daily. The monsters might show up, but god will give you a safe place where they cannot get at you and that safe place.He’s in the palm of his hand. I speak of monsters, but what is a monster? The monster might be the new diagnosis from your doctor the monster might be the terrible thoughts or horrifying dreams that come in the middle of the night. The monster might be an addiction. The monster might be a person. The monster might be a fear or even a desire. And they will come because the devil doesn’t want you belonging to his enemy. But Jesus is your friend and he is fighting on your side, and he will never let you go.
Math
The hardest math I have ever done was trigonometry. Calculus I was shockingly okay with, and my dad was a great tutor, so, though I hated most of my math (100% of my chemistry math), I got through it. I would walk away from a test and go, ‘we’ll that was the worst, but now it’s over.’ In truth, the hardest math we will ever do is very simple in calculation. 70×7. There is nothing harder than Jesus’s math. Your brain will work to grasp other math because it’s mental, but Jesus’s math hit every nerve. I have one sole person I would call an enemy. This person has hurt my family and myself many times in the past, and every time their name comes up, a little hatred seeps forward as I recall the past. Every time that happens, Jesus reminds me to forgive. It’s an old thought. Forgive for yourself not for the other person, but it is true. Forgiving them or hating them does not really affect them unless you are together often. But it changes you. Holding a grudge keeps you distant from God. Jesus knows what that person did to you and those you love, but He gets revenge for your pain, not you. It’s hard when that person repents and is forgiven by God, but if that does not happen, then God will pay them back for what they did to you. And if they repent, remind yourself that God Forgives you every time you repent. We must forgive and forgive again, It’s actually not fun ever, but when we forgive, we release ourselves and are free. Because unforgiveness holds you in bondage, not your enemies. 70×7. Hardest math you will ever do. But the most rewarding.
What am I thankful for
1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 ESV
[18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [19] Do not quench the Spirit.
Thankfulness isn’t always about being happy. It’s not always a time of rejoicing for something good. Sometimes, being thankful is simply a breath after you have been holding your breath for a long time. Sometimes, it’s a soft smile after you realize you made it one step further because God has helped you. Sometimes, it’s filled with tears of pain or exhaustion or worry, and you simply cry out with a deviance against the circumstance. “Thank you, Jesus! Because greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.” Being thankful is a war cry against pain and discouragement. Being thankful is saying, ‘My God will supply!’ When there is nothing on the table. Being Thankful is saying,’The same God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will get me through this.’ When the waters are rising and you see no way out. Being thankful has nothing to do with circumstance. Being thankful has to do with who Jesus is and who you are within him.
Nailing your sins
Those who belong to Christ have nailed their passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross.’ Galatians 5:24
This verse is very interesting because many will look at it and say. “He’s meaning that our sins are forgiven.” Yes, our sins are nailed to the cross of Christ, but I don’t think that is what Paul meant here. He says ‘those who belong to Christ have nailed their passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross.’ Galatians 5:24. I take this verse to mean that when we came to Jesus we left our sinful nature behind at the foot of the cross, covered by His blood, never to be acknowledged again. Yes. Our sins are forgiven, but we MUST leave them behind.
Do we seek Him?
The Saints did not often pray for more bounty. For answers and help to their needs. They did pray for these things, but they mostly prayed for more of Jesus. For more of the presence of the savior. Give me more of Jesus. The tractor broke down. They prayed for Jesus’s presence. A bone was broken. They prayed for Jesus to be near. Finances were failing. They prayed for Jesus to show Himself. The Saints prayed mostly for the presence of God and they knew that everything else would fall under His presence. Every need would fall under God just being near. We forget to seek His presence. We forget to look for His face and that everything else falls under being with God. It’s the moment when we want Jesus more than anything else. Even if He does not heal. Even if He does not provide. Even if the brokenness lingers. Do we seek for Jesus? Do we say, “your will God. I know you still have me.”
It’s not about all He does, it’s about who He is. Seek Him and all will fall in place under Him.
Your heart is different
No two hearts are alike. We have to care for each heart through Jesus’s love by caring for the unique heart of the individual person.
This was part of what I got from Pastor Haily tonight. I changed it a little to fit how I could apply this as a person with no kids to raise.
In my Pharmacy technician course I have had to do communication classes. This week we had a quiz on empathy, I failed it. I should also mention that you need 80% to pass, it’s not the 50% pass classes. Here’s the thing. I failed because of what our pastor said tonight. Caring for the individual unique heart. That is empathy. Our textbook has specific answers for each person and each problem that is universal. We are supposed to care for each person as though that person is the exact same as the next. There’s a formula to follow. A set of rules to apply. It’s not true empathy. As Christians we have learned a version of empathy that’s different from the rest of the world. The world has a view of empathy that isn’t actually empathetic. It says. “You do you.” “I’m not judging.” “I’m caring for myself first.” And we call it empathy and caring, but it’s not. Empathy says, “I actually care about you. I care so much that I want to help you. I know you feel like this but.”
We had a casd study. A woman came in with so much heart pain. Not physical. And we had to help her. We were supposed to answer with. ” I’m sorry you feel that way. These things happen. It won’t last forever.”
What I wanted to say was, “honey there is nothing we can do, but have you met Jesus?” How do people move on past pain without Jesus. As Christians we have learned from the one who suffered all to take the suffering of others and try to understand and show them the answers through Jesus. There’s medication. There’s pat answers. But without showing them to the true God who is the only one who can truly help, there is nothing we can do to truly help. We have learned to work at truly caring as Christians, but truly caring means you try to help. Help sometimes looks like praying in your mind. Caring looks like letting the person talk and showing that you are listening. Help looks like guiding to the right answers. Caring looks like guiding to Jesus.
How do you show empathy? In the way of the Christian who lives Jesus, or in the way of the world where they don’t actually care? If you fail the world’s empathy test, maybe that’s because your empathy comes from Jesus and your answers are the right ones. Also. You can’t always empathize. People will speak to you of things you cannot accept and cannot connect with. In those times remember that Jesus is there and you can pray in you heart and is working for those people. Don’t bend to the belief that acceptance of a lifestyle is empathy. A sinful lifestyle is not something you should be accepting of. Those are people you need to pray for. This is not a straight forward topic. Pray and read your Bible and see how God wants you to show love to those around you, without bowing to their beliefs.
How do your bones grow?
I have been nose deep in textbooks lately and that has reduced my time for prayer and Bible reading, which usually ends in these Devotionals. It’s funny though. Even in an anatomy textbook it is easy to see God. Last week we learned all about bones, muscles and the nervous system. (Hang in there. I have a point.) We learned that babies are not formed inside the womb with bones, babies ‘bones’ are cartalidge that slowly fuses together (I won’t go into more detail) to create the strong bones of an adult. That’s why children are more delicate.
Here’s the thing. Yes, that’s amazing, but get this. There’s this verse in Ecclesiastes where God says:
Ecclesiastes 11:5 KJV
[5] As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
Back then there is no way that they already knew that inside the body of the mother, her baby’s cartilage was fusing together to create bones. Yes I do realize that much of our initial understanding of medicines and chemistry came from the East in the early days, but not this early of early. God speaks to the writer of this book about a concept that the writer would have no way of knowing without a Devine God who told him. Imagine God saying to a person who would have known many things about what was ‘modern medicines in that time and brings up a concept that he couldn’t even fathom. “Grow God? What do you mean, grow?”
Now. Before you say God might have been meaning that the bones would grow in length inside the womb as though I did not understand that. I know they grow longer. Guess why? The cartilage forming together to create an actual bone. You know how doctors say that babies can’t sit up because their spines are not yet fused? This is that. It counts for all bones from the big long bones to the tiny irregular bones. God made it that way so the baby could come out of the mother without harm to it. Now. I don’t think it’s that way with large animals. Puppies and kittens yes, but cows and horses I believe are already semi fused bones, but you would need to ask your vet. Here is my point. God is crazy amazing. He thought of everything! He even scolded a man using medical knowledge years beyond his time. Every detail from the cilia in your lungs to the autonomic beat of your heart, has been planned and counted and cared for. Even in the bad days, God is still I’m charge and knows what He’s doing. Stop doubting Him! He loves you, always. Just copy your parasympathetic nervous system and relax in knowing that Jesus has hold of you, every inch, and He knows what He is doing.
Come as you are
We all speak of come as you are. We speak of it as though it is written right there in the Bible. The thing is. Those words are not exactly there, but the idea is. Come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Mathew 11:39
Some want to stand and say ‘God does not say that!’ Because we have had people who claim that God does not care what they live like because He says to come as you are. But that is not what God is saying. He is saying come to me and let me change you.
If the leper had chosen to heal himself before going to Jesus He would still be sick.
We cannot heal, clean or save ourselves. Only Jesus can.
Now. Come as you are does not mean ‘stay as you are’. We come to Jesus, not so we feel all good and fluffy, we come to Him because we are broken amd need healing. Because a battle rages within us and we need saving. Because we are lost and we need finding. We come to Jesus so we can be changed. He is the great healer and defender. I feel all of us want to come to Jesus. If you look at what people chase after in this world it is clear that their souls are trying to find their way back to the savior. But the devil gets in the way amd distracts and pulls away those who chase Jesus. He throws shiny things on the ground for us to follow and we forget that true treasures are buried deep and do not simply shine on the surface. It makes me think of a geode. The surface gems are pretty and sometimes quite large, so you spend all your time cleaning them up and polishing them. But under the surface there small gems you must chip away at the stone to reach, small gems that do not sparkle as brightly and harder to reach, but are worth so much more than the large surface gems. Don’t settle for shiny scatterings on the ground, seek for the Treasure that only a few find.
Carried in the cross 